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Architect Ben Pentreth urges Charleston to put trees, walkability and mixed‑use, integrated affordable housing at the center of Project 3500
Summary
Visiting U.K. architect Ben Pentreth told a Charleston Project 3500 lecture that trees and landscape, 5–10‑minute walkable mixed‑use neighborhoods, and visually integrated social housing (he cited Poundbury’s 35% social housing) should guide the city’s affordable‑housing strategy; he recommended bus networks and upfront transit before new suburban expansion.
Ben Pentreth, a British architect working with traditional urbanist approaches, told an audience at a City of Charleston Project 3500 lecture that landscape and walkable, mixed‑use neighborhoods should lead the city’s affordable‑housing strategy.
“Landscape is really the most profound element of anything that we’re designing with,” Pentreth said, arguing that street trees and public‑realm design make places “livable, breathable, cool in the heat of the summer.” He said buildings in successful places often act as background while green infrastructure and pedestrian space shape daily life.
Pentreth used Poundbury, the Duchy of Cornwall development outside Dorchester, England, as his principal precedent. He described Poundbury as a long‑running experiment in mixed tenure and local services, saying “in Poundbury 35% of the housing is social housing,” and noting the development reported a mix of rented social units and shared‑equity models for key workers. He added that social housing…
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